


Δίκληρος

by Megkips



Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: Gen, Spoilers, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-15
Updated: 2012-10-15
Packaged: 2017-11-16 09:30:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/538001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megkips/pseuds/Megkips
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you accept that the soldier with long black hair in Rider's reality marble is indeed Waver, you must also accept that Waver Velvet has fought in the Fourth Holy Grail War twice, from two distinct vantage points, one with full knowledge of how the war must play out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Δίκληρος

Waver Velvet cannot remember how old he is and the desert is rumbling under his feet, prompting a cacophony of frightened yelps and strings of curses amid cut off battle cries. Those around him demand to know what is going on, what Alexandros has gotten them into, what that great red light ahead is and what the lone figure in the distance is doing, and Waver knows the answer to everything. He knows it because he is ahead of them all in this charge, seated on Bucephaelus as his tiny lungs try to mimic Rider’s great and echoing warcry. Ahead, Eumenes tries to rally all of those around him and control the damage, and Waver runs towards the general despite knowing that the world will end in approximately two more minutes.

There is nothing that Waver can say or do to change the end of the world. The reality marble will be destroyed by Gilgamesh’s anti-world noble phantasm, and the Ionioi Hetairoi will be gone from the Fourth Holy Grail War. Waver knows it because Gilgamesh stares out at the advancing army with a cold gaze and speaks of dreams as only he can and the world begins to open up between Rider and the rest of the army. 

It’s strange how small he looks at age nineteen, full of raw ambition and red hot anger, and it’s for both those reasons that Waver makes no attempt to explain to Eumenes how the situation could be fixed, now that he is within the general’s earshot. Waver cannot do anything in this moment, because to change the destruction of the Ionioi Hetairoi is to change the outcome of the Fourth Holy Grail War and if there is one truth Waver knows, it is that the grail must destroy Fuyuki and that for that to happen, Rider must die.

Even so, he advances with the rest of the army, keeping pace with Eumenes’ charge and not daring to tell Roxana that her attempt to split the troops into two flanks to outrun the ever widening chasm will fail. He must only obey orders now, see the destruction through to its end, just as he did when faced with Assassin.That had been a strange moment, marching past himself, past Gilgamesh, past Saber and the Einzbern’s homunculus, acknowledging none of them and what was about to unfold, despite knowing all of their fates. That the Einzbern would still become the grail and her daughter would follow. That Saber and Gilgamesh would participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War. That he himself would survive and go on to end the Grail Wars for good, alongside one of the founding families of the entire system, bringing war to Fuyuki for the third time in thirty years.

Stranger still had been fighting the great beast that Caster summoned, and it was with no small amount of pride that upon the creature’s entry to the reality marble, Waver had fought his way to stand at Alexander’s side, hurriedly reporting to him what would happen on the opposite side of the marble. That Saber’s true master would call and tell him to deposit the monster at such and such a distance from the bridge. That Archer and Berserker would fight in the skies, threatening to disrupt the operation at hand. That Saber would deploy Excalibur and bring the thing - and Caster within its walls - to heel. That they need only deploy Mithrenes to wait for the right moment and set the monster in the path of destruction. Alexander listened and listened well, smiling widely as Waver prophesied - because what other word was there for what Waver was saying - and then said, “Very well, we’ll do just that. Hephaestion, did you--”

“--Yeah, I got it,” Hephaestion had replied with no more concern than Alexander showed. “I’m thinking that we can surround the beast on all sides and trim the hedges, as it were.”

“That is a fine approach,” Rider said, permitting his closest friend and companion to leave. It was surprising to Waver to see just how easy it was for Hephaestion to ride off and issue the appropriate commands to the right generals, allowing the army to mobilize with astounding speed against Caster and his pet. Waver made sure that he was amongst them, smiling grimly at the realization that he was drawing upon Rider’s mana for this fight. Using it to manipulate the water on the monster, freezing its limbs so that they might be hacked at, taking his own sweat to form tiny daggers to puncture tentacles, remembering every single spell he had learned in his eighty-nine years as a mage and putting it all into this fight so that he might be able to have the honour of even participating in it. He ticked off the events happening outside of the marble as he fought - Lancer breaking his spear so that Saber’s curse would be lifted, Berserker rushing past everyone on the riverbank, Saber rushing out onto the water of the river with her sword held high while the Einzbern homunculus spoke of the honour and loyalty that Saber commanded and held all others to (and perhaps, perhaps Waver and the rest of the Ionioi Hetairoi helped to fuel that attack too) - knowing that he must help to drain Rider of prana. Without that, he would not lose his chariot to Saber, and he would not fight Gilgamesh as he does now, smiling and still making to attack the Sumerian king as the world around him closes in on itself and crumbles.

Waver tumbles down and down into the never-ending rift, catching sight of the Fuyuki skyline again. The great bridge that cuts the city in half still stands, and the ravages of the fourth and fifth Grail Wars, as well as the war against the Mage Association, have not yet occurred. His breath - breath he has not needed for years and years - hitches, and he fades as all servant do, in a twinkle of gold dust, calm smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Historical personages: [Hephaestion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestion), [Eumenes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eumenes), [Roxana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxana)
> 
> With infinite thanks to [Pentience Road](http://archiveofourown.org/users/penitence_road) for prompting this.
> 
> δίκληρος (diklnros) - literally "occupying the space of two" ([source](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddi%2Fklhros&highlight=space))


End file.
